You received the Notice of Seizure and Notice of Pending Forfeiture paperwork because a Notice has been filed with the court and you may have been listed as an interest holder in the submittal we received from the submitting Police Agency.

Writing a bad check may result in criminal charges filed, a summons to court, warrant for your arrest and having a permanent record of being a bad check writer. The Program offers you, the check writer, the opportunity to divert this matter from going to court. If the balance is paid in full before criminal charges are filed, then this offense will not go on your permanent record.

Payments can be mailed or brought into the MCAO Check Enforcement Program at: 11 West Jefferson Street, 2nd Floor, Phoenix, AZ 85003

We only accept money orders or cashier’s checks. Include your Personal ID (PID) number on all forms of payment. A receipt will be given or mailed to you showing the payment was received and your account credited. Do not pay the merchant(s), or the person(s) to whom the check was originally written.

Yes. As long as our office has not filed a criminal case against you and this is your first bad check, we offer the option of Diversion. Contact our office to set up a time to come in and sign the Diversion paperwork. Signing the Diversion agreement will set you up on a 3 or 6 month payment plan until the amount owed is paid in full. A signed Diversion agreement is a document admitting to the crime, but gives you the opportunity to resolve the matter without going to court, as long as payments are made monthly. If one payment is missed, your case will automatically be sent to court and criminal charges may be brought against you.

You may have a warrant out for your arrest. You have the following options:

You can pay off the entire balance owed to Check Enforcement. After the office receives payment in full, the Program will send a dismissal to the Justice Court your case is filed in. You should also contact the Justice Court, as the courts impose their own fines and fees per case.

You can sign a guilty plea in the Justice Court. Contact the Justice Court, ask for a court date or when open court is scheduled. Arrive at your court date and let the Judge know you are there to sign a guilty plea. The court may give you the option to make monthly restitution payments, outlined in your plea. Payments are to be sent to the Check Enforcement Program. Include your personal ID number (PID#) with all payments. After the office receives payment in full, the Program will send a dismissal to the Justice Court your case is filed in. You should also contact the Justice Court, as the courts impose their own fines and fees per case.

Contact our office to let us know you will be submitting the following paperwork verifying that you were the victim of identity theft: police report, notarized letter from your banking institution and any additional information you have received regarding your ID theft. All information must be submitted to our office in a timely manner. We will have a detective review the information for accuracy. You may be required to come into the office to sign an affidavit of forgery. Until you provide the information requested, via email, fax or mail and is verified we will still show this as an open case.

If you or your business has received a bad check in exchange for goods or services, fill out a Victim Information Form (first time victims only), attach the bad check to a completed Submittal/Witness Form (use a separate form for each bad check), and mail or deliver these materials to our office: MCAO Check Enforcement Program, 11 West Jefferson Street, 2nd Floor, Phoenix, AZ 85003. If there is sufficient evidence to prove the ID of the check writers, we will take action — including criminal prosecution — to collect the funds you are owed from the bad check writer plus a $25 merchant fee at no cost to you.

Most “first time” bad check writers will be provided an opportunity to avoid prosecution by payment of full restitution and state mandated fees. If the check writer does not make full restitution, and if sufficient evidence for criminal charges is available, criminal prosecution may be initiated. If the check writer is a repeat offender, or if evidence exists of intent to defraud from the beginning, the County Attorney will attempt to prosecute.

Bad check writers face a maximum penalty of 6 months in jail for each bad check; $2,500 in fines, restitution up to twice the amount of the check; and state mandated collection fees pursuant to A.R.S §13-1807 and §13-1810.

We encourage the victims to contact the check writer to resolve the issue of non-payment. We have provided “Demand for Payment” guidelines and example letters you can mail to the check writer. This should be taken prior to contacting the Check Enforcement Program.

For more in-depth information about the Check Enforcement Program - read our guidebook.

Once a check has been submitted to the Check Enforcement Program, do not accept payment for the check! Any money sent to you by the check writer should be immediately returned to the check writer or forwarded to the Check Enforcement Program with a note asking that the money be applied to your specific case.

If you think an elderly individual is a victim of abuse, call your local police department. For other crimes committed against an elderly individual, such as telephone scams, contact the Arizona Attorney General’s Elder Affairs Program at 602-542-2124 or visit their website.

The Maricopa County Public Fiduciary handles Estate Administration (conservatorships and guardianships), Human Services, Financial Services and County Indigent Burials. They may direct you to a contact that could help. Learn more by visiting the Maricopa County Public Fiduciary Website.

If you believe a criminal act has been committed, contact your local police department. The Arizona Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division can answer your questions about civil enforcement, or can refer you to the correct agency. Please call their office at 602-542-5763.

The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office Fraud and Identity Theft Enforcement Bureau was created in August 2004 to combat identity theft crimes. Through this specialized unit, victims of identity theft and related crimes will benefit from newly-enacted Arizona legislation that allows prosecutors to pursue identity theft and computer-related cases that cross jurisdictional lines.

If you believe your are a victim of identity theft, there are four important steps you should take right now:1. Contact the fraud departments of any one of the three major credit bureaus. 2. Close the accounts that you know or believe have been tampered with or opened fraudulently.3. File a report with your local police department.4. File your complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

The Maricopa County Assessor’s Office offers two options:- You can register your property online at the County Assessor’s website, or - Visit the County Assessor’s Office at 301 West Jefferson, ground floor, in Phoenix. Maricopa County Assessor's Website

The primary investigative agency for a crime is the municipal police department. Crimes should be reported to the police department in the area where the crime occurred. For example, crimes committed in Tempe should be reported to the Tempe Police Department. If there is no municipal police department in your area of Maricopa County, the crime should be reported to the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office. The law enforcement agency determines if a crime has been committed. Once the police department completes the initial investigation, the report is submitted with the correct prosecuting agency. The reviewing prosecutor decides what charge(s), if any, will be filed.

An investigation by the local police department or sheriff’s office needs to take place before the case is submitted to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office. Please contact the law enforcement agency in the jurisdiction where the crime was committed. Persons charged with possession of an illegal narcotic have the opportunity to enter a drug diversion program in conjunction with the Treatment and Assessment Screening Center. If you wish to remain anonymous, contact Silent Witness at 480-WITNESS or 1-800-343-TIPS.